Method of converting railcars

ABSTRACT

A method of increasing the height of an autorack railcar comprising replacement of a conventional roof with an increased height roof assembly that includes integrated vertical side wall extensions, which avoid any need to provide side wall post extensions or additional side screens. The method may be used in conjunction with conversion of bi-level autorack railcars to tri-level autorack railcars, as well as with other conversions involving addition or removal of decks.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/702,649, filed Jul. 24, 2018, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The invention relates generally to railcars, and more particularly torailcars for shipping automotive vehicles.

For many years, autorack railcars have been used for shipment ofautomotive vehicles. Shipping by rail can significantly reduce costs ascompared with shipping by tractor-trailer.

Prior art autorack railcars as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 typically haveside walls that comprise a row of vertical posts extending along eachside of the railcar, with vertical columns of rectangular side screenssupported between adjacent posts. The side screens typically providesecurity for the vehicles being transported, while also having ventopenings to avoid undesirably high concentrations of automobile exhaustin the railcar interiors.

A roof extends across the width of the car between the side walls. Someprior art roof structures comprise a series of roof structure segments,including end segments made of corrugated 14 gauge (0.0785 in. thick)galvanized steel or non-corrugated ¼ in. plate, and intermediatesegments made of corrugated 16 gauge (0.0635 in. thick) galvanizedsteel, with each roof sheet having a longitudinal dimension of about 4ft., 3 in., i.e., about 51 in., with 22 roof structure segments arrangedin series on a railcar having a total length of about 90 ft. Thelongitudinal dimension of some prior art segments is about 4 ft., 3⅜in., i.e., about 51⅜ in., with overlaps providing an effective length ofabout 4 ft. for each segment. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, some prior artroofs include a horizontal top central portion, with inner slopedportions extending downward and outward therefrom, and outer slopedportions extending downward and outward more steeply from the innersloped portions. Roof rails extend along the sides of the roof. Thevertical dimension of some prior art roof structures including the roofrails is about 2 ft., 8¾ in.

One factor that limits the number of vehicles that can be shipped on anindividual autorack railcar is that height limits are imposed onrailcars due to the presence of bridges, tunnels and other obstructionsover the railways. Railroad regulations specifying a maximum height atthe center of the railcar, and lower maximum heights at certaindistances from the center. The prior art includes 19′-0″ ATR auto racksmeeting AAR Plate J specifications, and 20′2″ auto racks meeting AARPlate K specifications.

Another factor that can limit the number of vehicles is the need tomaintain the center of gravity (Cg) of the loaded railcar at or below acertain height above the top of the rail (ATR) for stability. The centerof gravity is affected by the weight of the vehicles being transported,and the height of the centers of gravity of the vehicles beingtransported, which can vary significantly between, e.g., relatively tallvehicles such as conventional gasoline-powered SUV's as compared with,e.g., certain electric vehicles that have a relatively low profile, withweight concentrated in batteries near the bottom of the vehicle.

Bi-level autorack railcars are often used to ship automotive vehiclesthat have relatively high vertical dimensions, such as pick-up trucks,mini-vans and sport utility vehicles. Tri-level railcars are typicallypreferred for shipping lower height passenger cars. Tri-level cars canaccommodate a larger number of shorter vehicles than bi-level cars, thusincreasing load factor and lowering the cost of transportation of suchvehicles.

The demand for bi-level and tri-level autorack cars in North America atany time depends on the mix between shorter and taller vehicles beingtransported in North America, which in turn depends on multipleever-changing factors, e.g., (1) customer demand in various regions, (2)percentages of vehicle types being built in various regions, and (3)percentages of vehicle types arriving at various ports. There is a needfor railcars that can easily be modified between bi-level and tri-levelconfigurations to accommodate changes in demand.

Many tri-level railcars have been constructed by building racks on flatcars. In some cases, the racks may be built on new flat cars that arecustom built for autorack use. In other cases, the racks may be built onflat cars that have been built and used previously for other commercialrail service. In the latter case, the flat cars may exhibitconfigurational variation as a result of strain incurred while inservice. This may impose challenges relating to construction of theracks, but nevertheless may be more desirable than using new flat cars,for economic and/or environmental reasons. In either case, the deck ofthe flat car typically functions as the first deck of the tri-level car,and the second and third decks are supported by the rack. The first,second, and third decks are commonly referred to as the A, B, and Cdecks respectively.

End doors to provide enhanced security in autorack cars are described,e.g., in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,995,563, 4,936,227, 5,829,360 and 5,765,486,the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. End doorstypically include locking pins that engage the A deck, a fixed upperdeck, and in some cases, the roof. In some cases, the locking pin entersthe fixed upper deck from above, as shown in FIG. 1 of the '360 patent.The prior art also includes arrangements in which the locking pin entersa fixed upper deck of a bi-level car from below the deck.

One of the challenges in adapting flat cars for tri-level autorack useis that a low flat car deck height may be desirable for Cg purposes andoverhead clearance purposes, but a low deck height can create bottomclearance issues relative to draft gear housing. The bottom clearanceissues have typically been addressed through the use of ramps near theends of the flat car, which raise the deck height near the ends of theflat car. Such ramps enable the flat car deck to have a central lowportion along most of its length, providing a sufficiently low Cg forthe loaded railcar, while providing adequate bottom clearance for mostautomotive vehicles to clear the draft gear housing near the ends.

Tri-level cars typically have hinged end sections on their B decks thatcan be raised to provide clearance for automobiles being loaded on the Adeck. The hinged end sections are manually raised and lowered duringloading and unloading operations. The hinged end sections are placed intheir lowered positions to support automobiles.

In conventional tri-level cars heretofore used in commercial railservice, adequate clearance is generally not maintained if the samenumber of vehicles is loaded on the A deck as on the B and C decks,requiring a reduced number of vehicles to be transported on the A deck.While the B and C decks can generally accommodate five typical passengercars each in a conventional tri-level railcar, the A deck can typicallycarry only four. Thus, the load factor for conventional tri-levelrailcars is 14 for most passenger cars. Where four vehicles are carriedon the A deck, the automobiles in the end positions typically areinclined due to their location on the ramps.

With conventional tri-level cars, shippers must spend significantamounts of time determining the load makeup of a shipment. Load makeuprefers to the specific types of vehicles loaded at specific positions ina railcar. Because conventional tri-level cars have different clearanceson different decks and at different positions within individual decks,only specific types of automobiles can be loaded at specific positions.Thus, loading a conventional tri-level car entails locating vehiclesthat can fit within each position and arranging all of the vehicles onthe car to use the available capacity efficiently. In some cases, if noautomobiles are being shipped that fit within a particular position, theposition remains empty, which can increase the number of railcarsrequired to ship a particular number of automobiles.

As consumers' preferences among different types of automobiles fluctuatedue to economic factors such as changes in fuel prices as well asnon-economic factors, the mix of automobiles being shipped by railchanges and the demand for various types of vehicle-carrying railcarsfluctuates, as do the load makeup decisions. Increased demand fortri-level autorack railcars has been met in part by construction of newtri-level autorack railcars. Many older tri-level cars have a height ofabout 19 ft., 0 in ATR. Many cars constructed in recent years have aheight of about 20 ft., 2 in. ATR, taking advantage of increasedclearances that have become available in certain areas in recent years.The increased height can enable taller automotive vehicles to be carriedon the tri-level cars, thereby help to alleviate some of the constraintson load makeup with shorter autorack railcars.

When demand for tri-level autorack railcars increases simultaneouslywith a decrease in demand for bi-level autorack railcars, conversion ofbi-level autorack railcars to tri-level autorack railcars may beparticularly desirable. In the past, autorack railcars having a heightof about 19 ft., 0 in. ATR have been converted to autorack railcarshaving a height of about 20 ft., 2 in. by adding post extensions andadding a row of side screens above the existing side screens. U.S. Pat.No. 8,302,538, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein byreference, describes another method of converting a bi-level railcar toa tri-level railcar that comprises severing each of the posts betweenthe flat car and the roof structure, thereby dividing the posts intoupper and lower portions, possibly without disconnecting the upperportions of the posts from the roof structure; removing upper portionsof the posts with the roof structure; removing the upper deck from theportions of the posts to which it was affixed; adjusting the height ofthe upper deck and affixing the upper deck to portions of the posts;affixing a second upper deck to portions of the posts; adding extensionsto portions of the posts; and assembling the portions of the posts andthe extensions. While prior art conversion methods such as thosedescribed above may be useful, these methods can be expensive, and canincrease the height of the railcar's center of gravity significantly.There is a continuing need for improved methods that reduce the time andcost of conversions, while also reducing increases in the height of therailcar's center of gravity.

SUMMARY

There is provided a method of increasing the height of a railcarcomprising removing the roof of the railcar, and replacing the roof withan increased height roof structure comprising a horizontal top centerportion, sloping intermediate portions extending downward and outwardfrom the top center portion, and side wall extension portions extendingdownward from the intermediate portions, wherein the side wall extensionportions eliminate the need to extend side wall post height or add sidescreens. In some embodiments, the side wall extension portions arevertical. In some embodiments, the side wall extension portions aresubstantially vertical, within 10° of vertical, within 5° of vertical,within 2° of vertical, or within 1° of vertical.

In some embodiments, the roof structure comprises a series of roofsegments that are arranged along the length of the railcar with edgesoverlapping sufficiently to permit adjacent segments to be attached byfasteners such as HuckBolts, by welding, and/or by other suitable means.In some embodiments, each segment is an integral, one-piece, unitarystructure that includes a horizontal top center portion, slopingintermediate portions, and vertical side wall extension portions.

In some embodiments, each segment of the roof structure may consist of asingle sheet of material such as corrugated metal. In some embodiments,the corrugated metal may comprise galvanized steel, another steelmaterial that has a protective coating to prevent or delay oxidation,aluminum, stainless steel, or other materials. The roof structurematerial preferably is light in weight to facilitate provision of anacceptably low center of gravity while also being strong enough to beself-supporting and to provide protection for vehicles transportedwithin the railcar. The roof structure may also contribute strength andstiffness to the railcar structure. In some embodiments, the roofstructure may comprise a series of roof structure segments, includingend segments made of 14 gauge (0.0785 in. thick) galvanized steel, andintermediate segments made of 16 gauge (0.0635 in. thick) galvanizedsteel, with each roof sheet having a longitudinal dimension of about 4ft., with the roof sheets at the ends of the car being of 14 gaugegalvanized steel, with 22 roof structure segments arranged in series ona railcar having a total length of about 90 ft. In some embodiments,each roof sheet may have a longitudinal dimension of between 51 in. and52 in., or about 4 ft., 3⅜ in. It is believed that the methods describedherein can provide advantages with respect to efficiency and cost ofconversion, as well as with respect to maintaining an acceptably lowcenter of gravity for the autorack car during transport of automotivevehicles.

In some embodiments, the methods may be used in converting autorackrailcars from bi-level to tri-level configuration in conjunction withsteps such as augmenting internal deck configuration by adjusting theheight of or replacing the existing bi-level upper deck, and adding asecond upper deck. The bi-level autorack car may have a height of, e.g.,about 19 ft., 0 in. ATR, and may be converted into a tri-level autorackcar having a height of about 20 ft., 2 in., with substantially verticalside wall extension portions having a vertical dimension of at least 12in.

In some embodiments, the new roof structure has a vertical dimension ofabout 3 ft., 10¾ in., and replaces a roof structure having a verticaldimension of about 2 ft., 8¾ in. In other embodiments, the method may beused with railcars and roof structures of other dimensions. The methodmay also be used to increase the height of an autorack railcar withoutincreasing the number of decks.

In some embodiments, the side wall extension portions cooperate withside screens to effectively increase side wall height without requiringadditional side wall structure such as side screens or post extensions,with the side wall extension portions being lighter in average weightper unit area than the combined average weight per unit area of the sideposts and side screens.

In some embodiments, ladders may be provided on each side near both endsof the railcars as is conventional, with spacing between the ladders andthe side wall to permit a radial door to open with part of the doorbeing between the ladder and the side wall. To facilitate worker accessto a higher upper deck after conversion, convenience grabs or hand-holdsmay be provided on the side wall extension portions of the roof tofacilitate use of the ladders. . . . In some embodiments, one or moreconvenience grabs or hand-holds may be provided near the top of each enddoor above the elevation of the top rung of each ladder, so that whenthe door is open, the convenience grab or hand-hold is positioneddirectly above the top rung of the ladder.

The method may include providing end door extensions to increase enddoor height, or replacing existing end doors with taller end doors. Theend doors may be radial end doors such as Seal Safe end doors that haveportions extending over the top of the roof and that are pivotallysupported on the roof by such portions, or may be other types of enddoors.

In some embodiments, the method can be used to increase overall heightof a railcar in conjunction with conversion between a unilevelconfiguration, a bi-level configuration and a tri-level configuration byadding or removing one or more decks.

In some embodiments, when the railcar is in a bi-level configuration, athird deck may be added by first removing the roof of the bi-level car,then using an overhead crane and/or other apparatus to lower the upperdeck or B deck of the bi-level car, then using an overhead crane and/orother apparatus to lower an additional deck into position as the C deck,and thereafter replacing the roof.

In some embodiments, a bi-level autorack car may be built to the maximumallowed height with an upper deck bolted in place. The upper deck mayhave hinged end sections locked in the “level” position. That is, the Bdeck of the bi-level railcar may have pivotable end sections of the typenormally used on the B deck of tri-level railcars, with the pivotableend sections being secured in place and not pivoted during normaloperation of the bi-level railcar. The car may have a bolt-on roofstructure. The car may be converted to a tri-level configuration byremoving the bolt-on roof structure, repositioning the intermediate deckdownward to the “tri-level” position with the end sections able to pivotup and down, installing from the top a second fixed end deck at its“tri-level” position, and reattaching the roof structure. The car couldbe converted back to a bi-level configuration by reversing these steps.

In some embodiments, a bi-level autorack car may be built with a lowerdeck that has ends at a first elevation and a region of reducedelevation between the ends, similar to the lower deck configuration ofconventional tri-level autorack cars, and with hinged end sections onthe upper deck. The hinged end sections may be similar to those used inconventional tri-level railcars, and may be raised and lowered duringloading and unloading of the bi-level railcar. In some embodiments, thehinged end sections are about 18 ft. long, and their ends are capable ofbeing raised by about 9 in. to facilitate loading of the A deck withlight trucks, e.g., pick-up trucks, as well as SUV's and vans. Afterloading or unloading, the hinged end sections may be lowered togenerally horizontal transport positions, creating a flat B deck.

Where hinged B deck end sections are provided, a B deck may provide lessstructural support for the autorack railcar than a B deck with fixed endsections. To avoid excessive distortion of the autorack structure suchas racking or “match boxing” in which the upper deck moves transverselyrelative to the lower deck in response to certain dynamic loads, bracesor other structural enhancements may be employed to compensate forreduced structural support associated with hinged end sections.

In some embodiments, locking pins are provided to enable end doors to belocked in open positions during loading and unloading, and in closedpositions at other times. In these embodiments, each end door may havean upper locking pin and a lower locking pin. Each of the locking pinsmay be supported for longitudinal vertical displacement in a bracketmounted on an inside surface of the door. To lock the door in closedposition, the upper locking pin may engage an opening near the center ofan upper deck, and the lower locking pin may engage an opening in the Adeck. To lock the door in open position, the upper and lower lockingpins may engage respective openings near outer edges of the upper deckand A deck respectively. In some such embodiments, the upper locking pinmay be positioned to engage the upper deck from beneath the upper deck,with the upper locking pin bracket positioned beneath the upper deck,and optionally with the opening(s) in the upper deck for receiving thelocking pins when the doors are closed being in hinged end sections ofthe upper deck.

In some embodiments, a conventional bi-level (which does not have hingedend sections on its B deck) may be converted to a tri-level of increasedheight having hinged end sections on its B deck by the following method:removing the roof; removing the “B” deck; inserting a new “B” deck withhinged ends; re-installing the “B” deck as a “C” deck; and installing anew increased height roof structure with side wall extension portions asdescribed above.

Other embodiments comprise building a mixed use bi-level railcar with aroof structure having vertical side wall extension portions as describedherein, in which the B deck is mounted much higher than in conventionalbi-level railcars, e.g., at the height of the C deck in a tri-levelrailcar. A bi-level car with this configuration may be used to transporttall vans such as Ram ProMaster vans, Ford Transit vans, MercedesSprinter vans or other tall vehicles on its A deck while transportingconventional vehicles on its B deck.

Another embodiment comprises building a mixed use bi-level railcar witha roof structure having vertical side wall extension portions asdescribed herein, in which the B deck is mounted lower than inconventional bi-level railcars, e.g., at the height of the B deck in aconventional tri-level car. A bi-level car with this configuration maybe used to transport tall vans such as Sprinter vans or other tallvehicles on its B deck while transporting conventional vehicles on its Adeck. This type of bi-level car can be built by removing the C deck froma tri-level railcar by any of the methods described in this application,and providing an increased height roof structure as described herein.

In some embodiments in which greater clearance is provide on one deckthan the other, the deck with greater clearance may have a clearance of,e.g., over 99 in., over 100 in., or over 110 in., or over 111 in. Morespecifically, in some embodiments, the deck with greater clearance mayhave a clearance of, e.g., 99 in. to 111 in., 99 in. to 102 in., 109 to111 in., about 110 in., or other clearances suitable for the vehiclesintended to be transported. In one particular configuration.

In any of the above embodiments, the railcar may have a height of about20 ft., 2 in. ATR. In some embodiments, a series of connected bi-levelrailcars may have varying B-deck heights, with a first railcar having aB-deck height of 10 ft., 10 ¾ in. ATR, a second car adjacent theretohaving a B deck height about 3 in. less, i.e., about 10 ft. 7¾ in.; andwith a third car adjacent the second one having a B deck height of 3 in.less than that of the second car, i.e., about 10 ft. 4¾ in. A string offive auto rack railcars is often circus loaded in a single operation.Providing varying B deck heights in which adjacent railcars' B deckheights are within 3 in. of each other as described above would enablerailcars with varying deck heights and varying clearances to be loadedin a single cascade circus loading operation. Alternatively, oradditionally, a small ramp having a length of, e.g., 24 in. or less, maybe provided at the ends of each B deck, with the ramp being capable ofadjusting up 3 in. on each of the two running surfaces to facilitatecircus loading among railcars with B decks at different heights. Where Bdecks with hinged end sections are employed, the above dimensions anddescriptions are applicable to B decks in their transport positions.

A method of installing a removable roof structure on an autorack railcarhaving at least one deck for supporting automotive vehicles, side wallsextending upward from the deck, and end doors which are movable betweenopen positions in which access to the railcar interior is permitted, andclosed positions in which the interior of the railcar will be fullyenclosed to prevent unauthorized access after installation of the roof,may comprise installing removable longitudinal roof supports on upperportions of the side walls, and welding or otherwise attaching the roofstructure to the longitudinal roof supports. Installing removablelongitudinal roof supports on upper portions of the side walls maycomprise bolting longitudinal members such as angle members or channelmembers to upper ends of side wall posts.

The railcars built or converted by the methods described herein maycomprise, for example, a tri-level railcar capable of transporting incommercial rail service increased percentages of passenger cars havingcertain predetermined characteristics with a load factor of at least 15,comprising: a pair of side walls; end doors at each end of the railcar;and first, second and third decks. The railcar may have substantiallyequal top and bottom clearances above each of said decks to enableautomobiles having the predetermined characteristics to be loaded onto,transported to a destination on, and unloaded from all decks of therailcar using circus loading and unloading techniques, without the needto raise end portions of the second deck to provide increased verticalclearance for loading on the A deck, and without any clearance-relatedrestrictions as to which individual automobiles are in which positionson the decks during transport of automobiles on the railcar. Each of thedecks may provide sufficient clearance to permit any automobile havingthe predetermined characteristics to be driven from a first end to asecond end of the deck at a speed up to about 5 mph without any portionof the passenger car, other than the tires, contacting the deck. Each ofthe decks may be substantially horizontal along substantially the entirelength of each deck. The railcar may in some embodiments have an emptyweight of no more than about 116,000 lbs. In some embodiments, therailcar, when fully loaded at up to about 24,000 lbs. per deck withvehicles having the predetermined characteristics, may have a center ofgravity or Cg no greater than 98 in. ATR. The railcar may have aremovable roof structure and a fully enclosed interior. The removableroof structure may be secured to the side walls by fasteners that arereadily accessible from the interior but not from outside the railcar.

In some embodiments, the center of gravity of the railcar may bemaintained at an acceptably low elevation while substantiallyeliminating the conventional height variations and ramps on the A deck.Elimination of the above-described variations in A deck height in priorart tri-levels may not only alleviate ground clearance concernsassociated with certain high performance automobiles that have lowerspoilers, but may also eliminate or reduce the need to provide extraclearance for vertical movement or bouncing associated with the rampsnear the ends of the A deck.

The railcar may comprise a unit car, i.e., a railcar having a monocoquebody, or may comprise a rack built on a conventional flat car, alow-level flat car, an upsill flat car, or a flat car having a 39½ ATRrunning surface. In one approach where a flat car having a 39½ ATRrunning surface is employed, the railcar has an overall height ofapproximately 20′-2″. The B and C decks may be permanently fixed, i.e.bolted or welded in place along their entire length, rather than havinghinged end sections as in the prior art cars discussed above. In someembodiments, the A deck does not include ramps of the type describedabove which automobiles must travel up or down during loading andunloading, or rest on in an inclined orientation during transportation,but instead the A deck is substantially horizontal with only minorvariations in elevation.

In some embodiments, there is provided a tri-level autorack railcar inwhich the clearances above each of the three decks are approximatelyequal. A minimum clearance of about 64 to 66 in., measured near the deckend 30″ off center may be provided for each of the decks. For the Cdeck, the minimum clearance may need to be measured from the deck toroof-mounted door hardware such as hardware associated with aroof-mounted radial door pivot, which may be as much as 1 to 2 in. belowthe roof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an end view of a prior art tri-level autorack railcar.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a tri-level autorack railcar made from therailcar of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a prior art bi-level autorack railcar.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of an increased height bi-level autorackrailcar made from the railcar of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of an increased height tri-level autorackrailcar made from the railcar of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments described herein comprise a method of shippingautomobiles, a railcar for shipping automobiles, and methods ofmanufacturing and converting railcars for shipping automobiles.

FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art tri-level autorack railcar that may beconverted into the increased height tri-level railcar of FIG. 2. Therailcar of FIG. 2 comprises a flat car 12 having a rack structureconstructed thereon. The flat car has a deck 14 that functions as the Adeck of the railcar. The A deck may be at substantially at the sameelevation along its entire length. The rack structure comprises aplurality of vertical posts 16, and B and C decks 18 and 20 respectivelysupported by the posts. Side screens 44 are supported between adjacentpairs of posts on each side of the railcar.

Each of the decks is connected directly to the posts to be supportedthereby. Knee braces 24 add strength and stiffness. Tire guides 26 and achock track 28 are provided on each deck. Longitudinal members 36 suchas roof rails and/or top chords tie the vertical posts together at theirupper ends.

A corrugated increased height roof structure 32 encloses the top of thecar. The increased height roof structure comprises a horizontal topcenter portion 40, inner intermediate portions 42 extending downward andoutward on each side of the top center portion, outer/lower intermediateportions 43 extending downward and outward from the inner intermediateportions 42 on each side of the roof structure, and vertical side wallextension portions 30 extending downward from the outer/lowerintermediate portions 43 on each side of the roof structure.

A pair of radial end doors enclose each end of the car. One end door isshown at 34 in FIG. 2. Minimum clearances of h_(a), h_(b) and h_(c),measured 30″ off center, are maintained above the A, B and C decksrespectively. The minimum clearances may be equal or approximatelyequal, and may be, e.g., between 64 and 66 in.

The railcar may be based on a low-level flat car, a conventional flatcar, an upsill flat car, or a flat car having a 39½″ ATR (above top ofrail) running surface. To facilitate maintenance of appropriateclearances, high cambered decks may be employed at both the B and Clevel. The overall height of the railcar is preferably equal to themaximum height permissible in North America under applicable AARregulations, i.e., about 20′ 2″.

In some embodiments, when the railcar is in a bi-level configuration, athird deck may be added by first removing the roof of the bi-level car,then lowering the upper deck or B deck of the bi-level car, thenlowering an additional deck into position as the C deck using anoverhead crane or other suitable equipment, and thereafter replacing theoriginal roof with an increased height roof structure as shown at 32 inFIG. 2.

In some embodiments, a bi-level autorack car may be built to the maximumallowed height with an upper deck bolted in place. The upper deck of thebi-level car may have hinged end sections locked in the “level”position. That is, the B deck of the bi-level railcar may have pivotableend sections of the type normally used on the B deck of tri-levelrailcars, with the pivotable end sections being secured in place and notpivoted during normal operation of the bi-level railcar. The car mayhave a bolt-on roof. The car may be converted to a tri-levelconfiguration by removing the bolt-on roof, repositioning the B deckdownward from the bi-level B deck position to the tri-level B deckposition and enabling the end sections of the B deck to pivot up anddown, adding a third deck by lowering it through the open top into the“tri-level” C deck position, fixing it in place, e.g., by bolting orwelding, and replacing the original roof with an increased height roofstructure having vertical side wall extensions 30 as shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 illustrates a prior art bi-level railcar that may be converted toan increased height autorack car such as that of FIG. 4 or FIG. 5 byreplacing its roof with an increased height roof structure 116. Theincreased height roof structure comprises a horizontal top centerportion 40, inner intermediate portions 42 extending downward andoutward on each side of the top center portion, outer/lower intermediateportions 43 extending downward and outward from the inner intermediateportions 42 on each side of the roof structure, and vertical side wallextension portions 30 extending downward from the outer/lowerintermediate portions 43 on each side of the roof structure.

FIG. 4 illustrates an increased height bi-level autorack car 108 havinga first deck 110, a plurality of posts 114 extending upward on oppositesides thereof, a second deck 112 supported on the posts 114 above thefirst deck, and a roof 116. Braces 118 extend upward and inward from theposts to the second deck 112. The lower/outer ends of the braces arejoined to plates 120 which extend upward from the braces to the sides ofthe deck. The plates 120 are preferably removably attached to posts 114by bolts or other means to facilitate adjustment of deck position.

The bi-level car of FIG. 3 may be converted to the increased heighttri-level car of FIG. 5 by removing the roof, disconnecting the upperdeck 112 from the posts, lowering it and securing it in the positionshown in FIG. 5, securing a new “C” deck 122 above it, and replacing theoriginal roof with an increased height roof structure 116.

The new C deck 122 may have braces 118 and connecting plates 120,attached thereto prior to installation. The braces and connecting platesmay be bolted or otherwise fastened to the posts or other structure tosecure the deck 122.

The bi-level car of FIG. 20 may alternatively be converted to thetri-level car of FIG. 22 by other methods described herein. Thetri-level car of FIG. 22 may be converted to the bi-level car of FIG. 20by reversing the steps of any of the methods described herein forconverting bi-level cars to tri-level cars.

One additional method of converting railcars comprises converting abi-level or tri-level auto-rack railcar to a unilevel railcar byremoving the roof structure to facilitate crane access to the railcarinterior; removing one or more decks from the railcar using a crane; andreplacing the original roof with an increased height roof structure asdescribed herein to provide an interior space that is capable ofaccommodating and enclosing vehicles of a height greater than thespacing between the decks of the bi-level or tri-level car.

Another additional method comprises building a mixed use bi-levelrailcar in which the B deck is mounted much higher than in conventionalbi-level railcars, e.g., at the height of the C deck in a tri-levelrailcar. A bi-level car with this configuration may be used to transporttall vans such as Sprinter vans or other tall vehicles on its A deckwhile transporting conventional vehicles on its B deck. This type ofbi-level car can be built by removing the B deck from a tri-levelrailcar by any of the methods described in this application withoutother major structural changes.

Another additional method comprises building a mixed use bi-levelrailcar in which the B deck is mounted lower than in conventionalbi-level railcars, e.g., at the height of the B deck in a conventionaltri-level car. A bi-level car with this configuration may be used totransport tall vans such as Sprinter vans or other tall vehicles on itsB deck while transporting conventional vehicles on its A deck. This typeof bi-level car can be built by removing the C deck from a tri-levelrailcar by any of the methods described in this application withoutother major structural changes.

A method of installing a removable roof on an autorack railcar maycomprise installing removable longitudinal roof supports 140 on upperportions of the side walls, and thereafter attaching the increasedheight roof structure 116 to the removable longitudinal roof supports.Installing removable longitudinal roof supports on upper portions of theside walls may comprise bolting them to upper ends of side wall posts.The increased height roof structure 116 may comprise a plurality ofsections, or may be one piece, end to end, with no transitions. The roofstructure 116 may have offsets at its ends for radial end doors.

The roof supports 140 may comprise generally L-shaped angle membersextending the entire length of the railcar along each side. Each roofsupport may comprise a horizontal bottom portion and a vertical portion.The roof structure 116 may be welded to the vertical portion of the roofsupport 140 with an inner bead and/or an outer bead along the entirelength of the roof or along portions thereof. The roof supports 140 maybe attached to the side wall posts by fasteners. The fasteners arepreferably easily removable from the inside of the railcar only. Eachfastener may comprise, e.g., a bolt that engages a nut which may bewelded to the roof support 140. In other embodiments, cap screws may beemployed with their heads on the outside of the car, and nuts secured tothem on the inside of the railcar. In some embodiments, other fastenersmay be used. When replacing the roof, new fasteners may be used tosecure it in place, with the fasteners, such as cap screws, bolts or thelike, being loosely secured first, then torqued as required.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. Theinvention is further described in the following claims.

1. A method of converting a bi-level auto-rack railcar to a tri-levelautorack railcar, the bi-level autorack railcar comprising a first deck,a second deck above the first deck, a roof, side walls extending fromthe first deck to the roof, and end doors extending between the firstdeck and the roof, the side walls comprising series of posts arrangedalong each side of the railcar with vertical screens arranged betweenadjacent posts, the method comprising: removing the roof structure;removing the second deck using an overhead crane; installing a newsecond deck using an overhead crane; installing a new third deck abovethe second deck using an overhead crane; and replacing the roofstructure with a new roof structure comprising a horizontal top centerportion, inner intermediate portions extending downward and outward oneach side of the top center portion, outer/lower intermediate portionsextending downward and outward from the inner intermediate portions oneach side of the roof structure, and vertical side wall extensionportions extending downward from the outer/lower intermediate portionson each side of the roof structure to increase the height of the railcarwithout increasing the height of the side wall posts, and without addingside screens.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the bi-level autorack carhas a height of about 19 ft., 0 in. ATR, and is converted into atri-level autorack car having a height of about 20 ft., 2 in., andwherein the vertical side wall extension portions have a verticaldimension of at least 12 in.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the newroof structure comprises a series of corrugated sheets of galvanizedsteel joined by fasteners, and a pair of roof rails extendinglongitudinally along bottom edges of the vertical side wall extensionportions and joined thereto, and wherein each of the roof rails consistsof an angle member comprising a horizontal base portion and a verticalflange extending upward therefrom, and wherein the corrugated sheets arewelded to the roof rails.
 4. The method of claim 3 further comprisingremoving the end doors of the bi-level autorack railcar, and replacingthem with end doors of increased height.
 5. The method of claim 4wherein replacing the roof with a new roof structure comprises removablyattaching the new roof structure to the side walls.
 6. The method ofclaim 4 wherein replacing the roof with a new roof structure comprisesbolting the roof rails to upper ends of side wall posts.
 7. The methodof claim 6 wherein the tri-level railcar has a fully enclosed interiorand an empty weight of no more than 116,000 lbs., and when fully loadedat up to about 24,000 lbs. per deck, has a Cg no greater than 98 in.ATR.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the new roof structure is securedto the side walls by removable fasteners that are accessible from theinterior but not from the exterior of the railcar.
 9. A method ofconverting a bi-level auto-rack railcar to a tri-level autorack railcar,the bi-level autorack railcar comprising a first deck, a second deckabove the first deck, a roof, side walls extending from the first deckto the roof, and end doors extending between the first deck and theroof, the side walls comprising series of posts arranged along each sideof the railcar with vertical screens arranged between adjacent posts,the method comprising: removing the roof structure; lowering the seconddeck; installing a new third deck above the second deck using anoverhead crane; and replacing the roof structure with a new roofstructure comprising a horizontal top center portion inner intermediateportions extending downward and outward on each side of the top centerportion, outer/lower intermediate portions extending downward andoutward from the inner intermediate portions on each side of the roofstructure, and vertical side wall extension portions extending downwardfrom the outer/lower intermediate portions on each side of the roofstructure to increase the height of the railcar without increasing theheight of the side wall posts, and without adding side screens.
 10. Themethod of claim 9 wherein the bi-level autorack car has a height ofabout 19 ft., 0 in. ATR, and is converted into a tri-level autorack carhaving a height of about 20 ft., 2 in., and wherein the vertical sidewall extension portions have a vertical dimension of at least 12 in. 11.The method of claim 10 wherein the new roof structure consists of aseries of corrugated sheets of galvanized steel joined by fasteners, anda pair of roof rails extending longitudinally along bottom edges of thevertical side wall extension portions and joined thereto, and whereineach of the roof rails consists of an angle member comprising ahorizontal base portion and a vertical flange extending upwardtherefrom, and wherein the corrugated sheets are welded to the roofrails.
 12. The method of claim 11 further comprising removing the enddoors of the bi-level autorack railcar, and replacing them with enddoors of increased height.
 13. The method of claim 12 wherein replacingthe roof with a new roof structure comprises removably attaching the newroof structure to the side walls.
 14. The method of claim 13 whereinreplacing the roof with a new roof structure comprises bolting the roofrails to upper ends of side wall posts.
 15. The method of claim 14wherein the tri-level railcar has a fully enclosed interior and an emptyweight of no more than 116,000 lbs., and when fully loaded at up toabout 24,000 lbs. per deck, has a Cg no greater than 98 in. ATR.
 16. Themethod of claim 15 wherein the new roof structure is secured to the sidewalls by removable fasteners that are accessible from the interior butnot from the exterior of the railcar.
 17. A method of increasing theheight of an autorack railcar comprising a first deck, a second deckabove the first deck, a roof, side walls extending from the first deckto the roof, and end doors extending between the first deck and theroof, the side walls comprising series of posts arranged along each sideof the railcar with vertical screens arranged between adjacent posts,the method comprising: removing the roof structure; and replacing theroof structure with a new roof structure comprising a horizontal topcenter portion, inner intermediate portions extending downward andoutward on each side of the top center portion, outer/lower intermediateportions extending downward and outward from the inner intermediateportions on each side of the roof structure, and vertical side wallextension portions extending downward from the outer/lower intermediateportions on each side of the roof structure to increase the height ofthe railcar without increasing the height of the side wall posts, andwithout adding side screens; wherein the autorack railcar initially hasa height of about 19 ft., 0 in. ATR, and is converted into an autorackcar having a height of about 20 ft., 2 in.
 18. The method of claim 17wherein the vertical side wall extension portions have a verticaldimension of at least 12 in., and wherein the new roof structurecomprises a series of corrugated sheets of galvanized steel joined byfasteners, and a pair of roof rails extending longitudinally alongbottom edges of the vertical side wall extension portions and joinedthereto, and wherein each of the roof rails consists of an angle membercomprising a horizontal base portion and a vertical flange extendingupward therefrom, and wherein the corrugated sheets are welded to theroof rails.
 19. The method of claim 18 further comprising removing theend doors of the bi-level autorack railcar, and replacing them with enddoors of increased height.
 20. The method of claim 18 wherein replacingthe roof structure with a new roof structure comprises bolting the roofrails to upper ends of side wall posts; and wherein the tri-levelrailcar has a fully enclosed interior and an empty weight of no morethan 116,000 lbs., and when fully loaded at up to about 24,000 lbs. perdeck, has a Cg no greater than 98 in. ATR; and wherein the new roofstructure is secured to the side walls by removable fasteners that areaccessible from the interior but not from the exterior of the railcar.